[Los Angeles, CA (October 17, 2012)] Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys will be presenting their Hammer of Hope award to KHTS AM 1220 owners, Car and Jeri Goldman, and the Southern California Gas Company at their annual Gala on March 1, 2012.
Each year, Habitat for Humanity, SF/SCV holds its premier event in the spring, celebrating the contributions and accomplishments of two corporations or civic leaders. These leaders are honored with the Hammer of Hope award. The award pays tribute to their work to improve the economic development and homeownership opportunities of low-income working people, including veterans, hospital workers, service industry members and so on. This year the event will focus on Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV’s work with veterans through the “Habitat for Heroes” program.
The honorees, Carl Goldman, along with his wife, Jeri have owned and operated KHTS AM-1220, Santa Clarita’s hometown station since 1990 and Santa Clarita’s most read website, www.hometownstation.com. Jeri has over thirty-four years of major market radio experience. In 1990, Jeri and Carl purchased the only local radio station, Santa Clarita, AM-1220, KBET, which they sold to Clear Channel in 1998 and repurchased as KHTS in 2003.
Carl and his wife Jeri have an impact on virtually every non-profit organization in our Valley. Carl currently heads the Board of the Santa Clarita Disaster Coalition. His and Jeri’s current passion is heading up the SCV Habitat for Heroes Advisory Board for Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV.
Carl and Jeri are extremely active in all aspects of life in Santa Clarita. In 2008, he was named Santa Clarita’s Man of the Year, where he is currently President of the Man of the Year Foundation.
Carl also currently serves on the Board of the William S. Hart Union School District’s WISH Foundation (the Foundation for the School District), Action Family Counseling Foundation. In addition, Carl serves on numerous other advisory boards and committees. He heads up the annual Sacramento Road trip, taking 81 community leaders to our State Capitol to advocate for local issues and an annual Community Leadership Advocacy trip to Washington DC. Carl is also proud of re-launching the annual Congressional Art Award, now in its 8th year as an annual event.
Jeri was Santa Clarita Valley’s 2005 Woman of The Year. She has served on the Boards of the Santa Clarita Child & Family Development Center, Board of Director’s for Providence Holy Cross Hospital Foundation, raising over ¼ million dollars for the new Hospital Tower. Jeri was Vice President of the local ROTC Booster Club. She was one of the original Founders of the Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, in 1994 and has served on the Board and chaired many of its major fundraisers, since then. She served two terms in the Sulphur Spring’s Elementary school districts site council (in an elected position). She has also served in the past, on the Sulphur Spring’s PTA, serving as its Treasurer and on the Boards of Carousel Ranch and Santa Clarita Theatre Project.
Carl has a Master’s Degree (MA) in Communication Management from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California and a BA in Mass Communications from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. They moved to the Santa Clarita Valley in 1990. The couple’s two sons are Hart District products, Ryan, (24), a graduate of West Point, currently based at Ft Campbell, Ky serving as a 1st Lieutenant and recently married to Haley an Elementary School teacher in Clarksville, TN and Kyle (18), who is in 12th grade in Santa Clarita.
Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) is a Founding Sponsor of the Habitat for Heroes program, and through its community representatives in the Santa Clarita Valley has been instrumental in moving the program forward. SoCalGas Regional Public Affairs Manager Mike Mizrahi currently serves on the Habitat for Humanity, SF/SCV Board of Directors, and is a member of the Executive Board. He also chairs Habitat’s Public Relations and Marketing Committee, which has promoted the Habitat for Heroes program throughout the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, paving the way for dedicated veteran villages that are soon to be built in both valleys.
SoCalGas has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation’s largest natural gas distribution utility, providing safe and reliable energy to 20.9 million consumers through nearly 5.8 million meters in more than 500 communities. The company’s service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles in diverse terrain throughout Central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border.
SoCalGas is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company. SoCalGas’ motto, “Glad to be of service,” reflects the Company’s commitment to provide customers with world-class service. This has been the key to SoCalGas’ longevity and success. The Company works every day to improve its systems, develop gas technologies, add convenience, and share useful information to help make it easier for customers to use energy safely and wisely.
SoCalGas’ commitment to customers also includes maintaining a diverse workforce and working with suppliers that represent and reflect the communities it serves. This commitment extends to improving the quality of life in its communities through volunteer activities and charitable contributions. These community programs, like Habitat for Heroes, help to develop thriving neighborhoods and local businesses.
Starting with the launch of the new “Habitat for Heroes” program in 2011, Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV expanded into a new direction. In just one short year this program has accomplished incredible miracles in Santa Clarita and the San Fernando Valley. Habitat for Heroes has refurbished 10 veteran homes and the American Legion Building in downtown Newhall. They have partnered with the Santa Clarita Sheriffs to place veterans in apartments off of Soledad and Sierra Highway, hoping to create a tipping point in one of the highest crime areas of the Santa Clarita Valley.
The most exciting project is going to be the construction of the first of their kind Veteran Villages featuring 87 homes in Santa Clarita and 12 in Sylmar. Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV is forming a Veteran coalition with many of the other organizations who are Veteran stakeholders in the valleys with the intent on making North Los Angeles County the premier place for veterans to live in the United States.
The 2013 Habitat Hearts for Heroes Builders Ball will take place Saturday, March 1, 2013, at the Universal Sheraton in Universal City. The event begins at 6 p.m. and the dress code is “black tie optional.” This year’s event is being chaired by Doreen Shine.
Previous recipients of the Hammer of Hope award include: Arturo Sneider and Leandro Tyberg of Primestor, Austin Beutner, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Gregg Lippe, Jack Shine of American Beauty Development, National Construction Rentals, Ricky Gelb of the Gelb Group, and many others.
For more information about the 2013 Habitat Hearts for Heroes Builders Ball, or to purchase tickets or become an event sponsor, contact Sarah Steffen at Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV at (818) 884-8808.
About Habitat for Heroes
Habitat for Heroes is a program of Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys. This program serves low-income and disabled veterans who either struggle to keep up or get around their existing home, due to disability or lack of funds, as well as low-income and disabled veterans in need of a brand new affordable home in Santa Clarita. Habitat for Heroes has completed 7 home repairs/disability modifications since November 2011 and plans to complete three more by the end of 2012 and ten more in 2013. They also plan to start two veteran “enriched” communities of new homes in the coming months. Habitat is already accepting applications for the new community which will also provide veteran families with social services specifically tailored to suit the needs of veterans, especially those recently returning from the “wars on terror” as well as services for older vets of prior conflicts. Download a new home and home repair/disability application at www.HumanityCA.org or www.HabitatSCV.org
About Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys (HFH SF/SCV)
Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV is a separately incorporated affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. HFH SF/SCV’s affiliate is one of only 5% of Habitats internationally that have built or rebuilt over 100 homes (with 220 in history). Even fewer Habitats build large neighborhoods of homes, and no other does so in an enriched environment that teaches a 12-month program of targeted self-sufficiency skills. Habitat is currently working on their 9th and 10th neighborhoods in North Los Angeles County as part of their veteran housing initiative “Habitat for Heroes”.